Common Spreadwing vs Yellow-Margined Water Scavenger Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Common Spreadwing	Yellow-Margined Water Scavenger Beetle
Scientific Name	Lestes sponsa	Hydrochara caraboides
Order	Odonata	Coleoptera
Family	Lestidae	Hydrophilidae
Size	35-40 mm wingspan	14-18 mm
Habitat	Ponds & Lakes	Ponds & Lakes
Diet	Predators	Scavengers
Regions	Europe, Asia	Europe, Western Asia
Conservation	Least Concern	Near Threatened

Common Spreadwing

A slender metallic green damselfly that characteristically holds its wings half-open at rest. It is widespread across Europe and northern Asia.

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Did You Know?

Spreadwing damselflies lay their eggs into the stems of plants above the waterline, and the eggs overwinter before hatching when water levels rise in spring.

Yellow-Margined Water Scavenger Beetle

A large dark water scavenger beetle with yellowish margins on the pronotum. It inhabits well-vegetated ponds and is declining in parts of northern Europe.

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Did You Know?

Larvae are fierce predators that dispatch prey much larger than themselves, including tadpoles.